By using only one statistic to assess diversity — the number of students with Pell grants — David Leonhardt’s essay gives an incomplete picture of the University of Chicago’s commitment to recruit and support students from diverse backgrounds.

One in five Chicago undergraduates is an Odyssey Scholar. That is an initiative created for low-income and first-generation students; it provides full-tuition scholarships with no loans, full funding for study abroad, and guaranteed paid internships the summer after the first year. It is the first internship program of its kind in the country.

We are just as focused on preparing low-income students for success after college; 95 percent have a job or other firm plans when they graduate. Many students of moderate means who benefit from such support do not qualify for Pell grants.

We are constantly seeking to build upon this commitment to diversity and access. Our new UChicago Empower Initiative, which makes standardized testing optional and expands financial aid, will further remove barriers to selective schools for students from underrepresented communities, including Pell applicants.

JAMES G. NONDORF, CHICAGO

The writer is vice president for enrollment and student advancement and dean of college admissions and financial aid at the University of Chicago.